Missions

As grants get funded from our mites, the photos will change from black-and-white to vibrant color.

District Mission Goal

Amount applied toward our $82,314 District Mission Goal

Grant Descriptions

Intern Serving on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico

Grant Amount: $9,600

Our LWML RMD has, for more than one biennium, supported Pr. Norton in his studies as he prepared for the ministry and vicarage (he now is an ordained pastor) at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. His work with the native Navajo people there has been blessed with growth. A Concordia student who recently finished a short term missionary trip to the reservation sums up the ministry there: “… my vocation as a missionary is not to change the culture I am working with to better fit the Christianity I am bringing. My vocation is, therefore, to usher forth a Christianity within their culture. It is to allow God’s work to continue, for He was working in the culture before I arrived, and will continue to do so after I have left.” The grant would provide funds for an intern to assist Pr. Tim to more effectively serve the Navajo community in bringing the Gospel to them.

Trinity HOPE

Grant Amount: $5,000

Through this program the Lutheran Churches in Haiti have a reputable and long-standing history (1999) of feeding children hot lunches during the school day in the Lutheran schools there.As their physical nourishment is provided through this program, the children and some of their families are coming to faith in Jesus through the teaching in the schools. It is hoped that someday the schools will be self-supporting. Until then, this grant would provide a noon meal for 110 souls for a whole year. 100% of funds are appropriated for this program, to one specific school assigned to the LWML RMD.

University Lutheran Chapel, Boulder

Grant Amount: $6,000

In the very secular community surrounding CU-Boulder, having the Gospel preached every Sunday in Lutheran worship is a vital part of keeping our youth close to the Lord. Bible studies, fellowship events, and other Gospel oriented activities are offered as well and the chapel is attended by students from around the world.The Rev. Joshua Hayes is the current pastor at ULC and is available to students for counseling, prayer, instruction, and encouragement when needed. The grant would give general support to this ministry, which by way of its population is unable to sustain itself independently.

Messiah Lutheran Campus Ministry at Colorado Mesa University

Grant Amount: $6,000.

The Lutheran Church and School of Messiah (LCSM) is the only LCMS presence in a valley population of 149,000 (nearest LCMS congregation is 65 miles away.) LCSM has recognized the need for outreach to nearby students of Colorado Mesa University (CMU) through a campus ministry. They would use the LCSM facility for student gatherings and a place to study.Bible studies would be offered there as well as on the CMU campus. Messiah is in the process to call an assistant pastor, whose partial ministry duties will be campus ministry. The grant would cover some of the operating costs of $6500/year and the additional Wi-Fi needed for student use.

Fostering Faith in the Forest

Grant Amount: $5,000.

Lutheran Valley Retreat has for many years served youth at summer camps, offering week long experiences “in nature.” Some weeks are specifically reserved for children in foster care and their chaperones. They receive love and attention and learn of Jesus’ saving grace during this time at camp.A week of camp for one child, which includes food, counselors, horse rides, and basic utilities normally operates with a cost of $350. Many times a one-on-one encounter from a loving counselor helps a child through a traumatizing period, as the love of Jesus is shared. The grant would allow fourteen to twenty (14 –20) children from foster families with limited income to have a week of camp.

St. Andrew Lutheran Church Plant

Grant Amount: $6,700.

A study of Southwest Albuquerque, New Mexico, has identified this area as a “geographical/population gap” in the RMD where the Gospel is not being proclaimed. The target is LCMS individuals in the area without a home church and those unchurched to whom the Gospel can be shared. The most pressing need to make this a viable church plant is funding LCMS Domestic Missionary Adam DeGroot as the called pastor. Per requirements of the LCMS Mission Advancement Office, he accepted a call in 2017 from Faith in Christ Lutheran Church (Mother church to St. Andrew) to be a dedicated worker at St. Andrew. Grant money would go directly to support him.

Biblical Orthodox Lutheran Mission

Grant Amount: $7,500.

Biblical Orthodox Lutheran Mission (BOLM) has a worldwide outreach with the Gospel, but targeted mainly to Arabic-speaking peoples in general and to Muslims in particular. This is done mainly through internet, TV, radio, and printed materials. There is a lot of secrecy, because of the persecution an ex-Muslim can experience (from a simple loss of a job to Christian martyrdom.) Much of the contact is on a one-to-one basis. This grant would help supply three (3) months expenses for the Internet Seminary and local office expenses for one year. This mission recently received RSO status with the LCMS.

Lutherans for Life Post-Abortion Crisis Hotline

Grant Amount: $5,000.

In a world where even Lutheran women and men are faced with decisions regarding pregnancy, LFL operates “Word of Hope,” the only crisis hotline specifically addressing post-abortion issues. The 300 people who contact Word of Hope each month are offered forgiveness and grace by faith alone and not faith plus works, according to Lutheran doctrine. The grant would help expand the hotline outreach by increasing staffing (currently only 10 hours/week availability) with an ultimate goal of hiring a full-time director.Along with this, LFL would launch promotion efforts to Lutheran congregations with distribution of brochures and literature about Word of Hope for more opportunities to guide hurting people into a relationship with the Trinity.

The Table at Bethlehem Lutheran

Grant Amount: $5,000

The Table is an outreach ministry to the immediate neighborhood of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakewood, Colorado. Since 2009 free weekly meals, along with a church service presenting the Gospel, have been offered to the homeless and working poor population in the area. The Table now serves 125–200 people every week. Volunteers from Bethlehem assist with the service, the music, and cooking and serving the meal, but the food and worship materials are completely by donation.The grant would fund some of these costs.

Securing the education needed to become an LCMS pastor can be costly, and many men have families to support as well during this time. Spouses often do not find adequate employment since employers realize their time in Ft. Wayne is limited. It is truly a cooperative, as students, who must be enrolled and taking classes to be eligible, and families are expected to volunteer their time working at the Co-op earning points to spend for needed staples and clothing. Giving this kind of support enables a seminary student to focus on the studies needed for preaching the Gospel after graduation. The grant would buy perishable food items to put on the shelves.

To Establish Lutheran Seminary in Sierra Leone

Grant Amount: $10,000.

Project Pastoral Education, West Africa (PPEWA) has been assisting pastors in this country since 2007 to become better leaders in their churches in the midst of a great pastoral shortage (16 ordained pastors for 159 congregations.) This grant would cover some travel and lodging expenses for the three LCMS pastoral instructors who volunteer for two weeks to provide this advanced theological education to these men, helping to impact the spread of the Gospel in West Africa. (Note two of the volunteers are from the LCMS RMD.)

Lutheran Books for Missionaries around the World

Grant Amount: $5,000.

Lutheran Heritage Foundation (LHF) supports the mission of the LCMS – bringing Christ to the lost. We know that in addition to Bibles, pastors use other resources, e.g. Luther’s Catechism, hymnals, and devotionals, to teach the Gospel. Just one example of this is having a translation of A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories. Who doesn’t remember learning some of our Bible stories with this book? And so it is for those who speak another language. Having the opportunity to have books like this in their hands, in their own languages is invaluable in learning the Gospel. This grant would help LHF supply our missionaries with these Lutheran books translated in the languages of the people they serve.

Dominican Republic Disability Ministry

Grant Amount: $3,514

Children with Intellectual and Development Disabilities (IDD) in the Dominican Republic have little government support to assist their families to care for them and often end up in orphanages in sub-human conditions.The same happens with adults who are mentally disabled. The Dominican Lutheran Church has established Good Shepherd Lutheran Homes to assist with the care of these people and the educating of their caregivers. The church visits these institutions and shares the Gospel with these children in messages, Bible stories, music, and craft activities.The grant would assist in the $60,000/year budget of running the Disability Ministry with salaries, food, clothing, medical care, education and utilities.